India captain Shubman Gill heaped praise on left-arm orthodox Manav Suthar for his maiden 10-wicket haul that brought India its 165-run win over Sri Lanka in the first Test in Galle on Wednesday.
“He has been bowling magnificently, even in the first match he played in India and in this match as well. He looks like a promising guy and someone who can play for India for a very long time,” Gill said at the post-match presentation.
Suthar had debuted for India in June against Afghanistan and picked seven wickets. He followed that up with impressive figures in Galle, that made him the youngest Indian to claim a 10-fer.
Credits were also reserved for Devdutt Padikkal, whose century in the first innings got India a massive total on board, paving the way for bowlers to dominate and secure the win.
“He was magnificent to watch. It is important to get hundreds; but even after he got that, how he carried on and got a big one for us, that’s the difference between being in a competitive position and a comfortable position. His knock in the second innings as well, the way he played and dominated the spinners was great to watch,” Gill said.
India was guilty of a few callous shots in second innings as it folded for just 193 runs, but Gill revealed the aggressive shot-selection was a planned attempt to push for victory given the rain forecasts on the last two days.
“Honestly, not [disappointed with batting in the second innings]. We were wanting to get around 400 in the third innings. The wicket was not easy to score runs at will and we were looking to play a bit more aggressively. We wanted that many overs and we were not sure how many overs we will be able to bowl on day four and five. So that was the thought process and in that we lost a few wickets,” he said.
The win keeps India’s hopes alive of making the World Test Championship final. It is still in fifth place in the standings despite the win but boosted its points percentage.
“A very satisfying win for us. We were in a very comfortable position but to come here unsure if the match is going to take place or not, we were under a bit of pressure but the team responded really well.
“[Playing the WTC final] That is the ultimate goal, [it is] why we are playing. Test wins don’t come easy and this one is very delightful,” Gill concluded.
Published on Aug 19, 2026
